As the crimson sun dipped below the western horizon, night fell over the fairy forest.
Thick, tangled underbrush and densely packed trees blanketed the ground. The late hour brought with it a creeping night fog that clung to every corner, casting a gloomy, eerie pall over the woods—an atmosphere oddly desolate and unsettling.
It was strange. At first glance, the forest looked no different from any other woodland. But anyone familiar with its nature would sense the heavy chill in the air, the unmistakable feeling that something was amiss.
Typically, the forests inhabited by fairies remain beautiful all year round, day and night. More precisely, it’s not just because of the fairies themselves, but due to the influence of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Mornings are warm, afternoons cool, and evenings calm and serene—a hallmark of the place.
So, the fact that the fairy forest now looked like this meant something was wrong. Either a problem had arisen, or some incident connected to Yggdrasil had occurred.
Meanwhile, deeper within the dark forest…
“Ugh!”
Was someone secretly moaning? Though the mouth was tightly shut, faint groans slipped through the gaps between fingers. The sounds weren’t suggestive or strange—they carried more the weight of pain and suffering.
“Ughhh!”
Suddenly, the voice grew louder, the moans coming faster and sharper, filling the small room with a raw, intense noise.
“Hah… hah…”
After a wave of agony passed, Erwin let out a weak breath. His slender body trembled as he lay on a bed of fallen leaves. Sweat-soaked hair clung to his cheeks, making him look like a woman in labor.
After a moment, a trembling hand moved to press gently against his heaving chest. Erwin was struggling to endure an unknown force surging within him.
This wasn’t a sudden development. The sensation had been with him long before he came to the fairy forest—ever since he’d gone searching for the sheaths of Eldora and Excalibur.
At first, it was just a tightness in his chest, a pounding heartbeat.
But over time, the intensity grew. After Nimue vanished without explanation, this force flared wildly. Every time Erwin writhed in despair and loss over the disappearance of his longtime friend, the energy fed on his negative emotions, swelling inside him. Now, it had fully revealed its teeth.
In truth, whether a seed sprouts depends first on its environment. Fertile soil yields fruit easily, but barren land struggles to even sprout a shoot.
By that logic, no matter how potent the “Devil’s Seed” was, Erwin’s body and mind were the worst possible ground for it to take root.
Yet, just as rough land can be cultivated into fertile fields, Erwin’s body was no different. He was almost certain—this force would soon try to take control of his body and mind.
Suddenly, a faint memory flickered in Erwin’s mind: the moment he broke the seal on the stone coffin and was engulfed by the black smoke that poured out.
“Huuuu…”
Even his breath trembled now.
‘I can’t let this continue… not like this…’
Struggling to steady his breathing, Erwin fought through the unbearable waves of pain, clinging to a single thought.
‘I have to go there before it’s too late…’
At that moment, his head lolled back, and he slipped into a faint, exhausted sleep.
But strangely, his body’s trembling didn’t stop—it continued, faint but persistent.
Then—
Sssshhh, sssshhh.
As soon as Erwin fell asleep, something slipped silently through the tightly closed door.
It looked like a vapor—a smoke tinged with a dark red glow. No one knew exactly what it was, but if Kim Suhyun had been there and witnessed it, he might have been reminded of Thanatos right after being blocked by Ansol.
Moments later—
In an instant, the smoke coiled like a serpent around the leaves, then suddenly flowed into Erwin’s body. Wherever there was an opening—eyes, nose, mouth, ears—there was no exception. His fairy body drank in the smoke as if parched earth was finally receiving rain.
Before long, the dark red smoke was completely absorbed, leaving no trace. The constant shivering ceased, and his body finally stilled. At the same time, Erwin’s collapsed form began to slowly rise into the air.
When he floated more than a meter above the ground, he began to rotate forward—slowly, painfully slowly.
Halfway through the turn, his feet lightly touched the floor.
Without warning—
His tightly shut eyes snapped open.
A fierce, blazing red light exploded from his gaze, flooding the small room with an eerie, ominous glow. It was no longer the calm, watery eyes anyone would recognize—it was a chilling, sinister blaze.
“Hmph. Is it over?”
The voice that followed was brief but unmistakably Erwin’s. Calm, dry, yet somehow unsettling. Even a close friend of centuries would find it strange enough to look back once.
“Ughhh…”
A long breath escaped him. Then, without warning, he twisted his neck from side to side, spun his arms in circles—odd, aimless movements.
After a while, as if loosening up, Erwin nodded and spoke.
“This is good enough. Porseus did a fine job.”
It was a clear morning, not a cloud in the sky.
But the Mercenary Castle—and indeed the entire city—buzzed with activity. Today marked the start of the first campaign into the Central Continent.
The first target was the old Northern Union, which held the western territories outside Atlanta. The expedition, led by Gong Chanho, numbered nearly six thousand troops. Amid cheers and high hopes, they departed early from the southern city gate.
Though they used the Warp Gate and didn’t need an escort, most mercenary clan members attended the send-off. After all, Geunwon was the only one from their clan joining the Northern Union.
It was tough for him to go through this twice, but activating the Warp Gate left no choice. (As usual, Geunwon showed no reaction.)
After farewells, Geunwon left with the expedition, expressionless. The mercenary clan members who had watched returned to the castle.
Though it was only the first day of the campaign, there was no room for premature celebration. Once the Northern Union built their forward base and activated the Warp Gate, they’d have to be on alert every moment. Preparation was key.
Vivian, out of habit, headed toward the ancient magical city of Magia, but stopped short at the Warp Gate. Since she had taken the Memory Stone from Magia first, she wouldn’t be able to return until the Central Continent campaign ended.
Aside from a woman frantically rushing about—head of the Central Administration—the walk back to the castle was peaceful as usual.
But as soon as she entered the castle gate, her communicator buzzed. It was Kim Suhyun calling.
Quickly washing up, Vivian hurried upstairs. But she didn’t burst into the office like she wanted—there was a reason.
Peeking through the slightly open door, her eyes widened in disbelief.
‘What is he doing? Why is he holding a sword like that?’
Inside, Kim Suhyun was gazing intently at Excalibur, wrapped neatly in white cloth.
Then—
Screeeech!
Suddenly, he tore the cloth apart like ripping fabric. He could have just unwrapped it gently, but no—he shredded it in one swift motion.
And the sword itself was strange. Despite its strong will, the moment the blade was exposed, it began to wail—an unsettling energy that was anything but friendly. Even Vivian, standing outside, felt as if needles pricked her skin.
“Hmph.”
That wasn’t all. Kim Suhyun smirked coldly and began to touch the blade without hesitation. A light stroke with his fingertips was one thing, but he even squeezed it with both hands, as if toying with a woman—his movements lewd and unsettling.
Finally, he stopped and tapped Excalibur with a look of disbelief.
“Hah. What a ridiculous sword. So high and mighty, yet it gets this happy after just a few touches? Not a holy sword, but a filthy sex sword, huh? Ha ha.”
Perhaps feeling shame, the hilt embedded with a large jewel trembled. Kim Suhyun grinned.
“Don’t deny it. No matter how much your will protests!”
Then, suddenly licking the jewel that housed the sword’s consciousness—
Wooooooong!
Excalibur roared with unprecedented power, bursting into a blinding light. Waves of radiant energy surged up the blade, finally erupting from the tip in a dazzling display.
“Your body is honest.”
As those words were spoken, a beam of light cascaded down, scattering like droplets along the trembling Blade.
Kim Suhyun casually tossed Excalibur aside and turned his gaze toward the door.
“It’s over. You can come in now.”
Vivian nearly fell flat on her backside but managed to steady herself and slipped inside quietly. Kim Suhyun brushed his hands off and returned to his desk, rifling through the drawers.
“Um, Kim Suhyun?”
Vivian, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up cautiously.
“What were you just doing?”
“Ah… not exactly humiliation. More like… training.”
“Humiliation? Training?”
“Yeah. I need to tame the sword a bit. Don’t read too much into it.”
Kim Suhyun answered calmly. Vivian instinctively licked her lips.
“Hmph… alright. I guess you have your reasons.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“But why don’t you do that to me?”
“What?”
“No! Why did you call me here then?”
“……?”
Before she knew it, Vivian had blurted out loud. Kim Suhyun tilted his head briefly, then closed the drawer and strode forward.
“You know the Northern Alliance expedition left today, right?”
“Yeah, I just saw them off and was on my way back.”
“Right. As you know, things are going to get hectic from now on… but there’s something urgent that needs handling first. I need your help with it.”
“Huh? Aren’t we fourth in line? The Northern Alliance’s western city, the East City of the Istantel Low Clan, the North City of the Hamil Clan, and then our Mercenary Clan’s South City. We should have plenty of time.”
But Kim Suhyun shook his head slowly.
“The key to this plan is the warp gate. It might not be immediate, but from the moment they leave, we have to be on constant alert. The second something happens, we have to move instantly.”
“I see… So, what do you need me to do?”
As Vivian chewed her lip, Kim Suhyun subtly slipped something into his pocket.
“Summon the Third Legion for me.”
“The Third Legion?”
Though she asked, Vivian had summoned them before, so it wasn’t too difficult. The only hassle was that, unlike other legions, this one required drawing a magic circle.
A moment later, Vivian summoned the Order of Order and began carefully sketching the circle.
But maybe because of the quiet sobbing sounds coming from the sword…
The more she focused, the more the image of Kim Suhyun toying with Excalibur kept flashing in her mind. That thought soon spiraled into a fantasy of herself crying, clutching her reddened backside after being spanked. Along with that, she recalled the lesson from a woman named Seon-yul about the “Ahegao Double Peace”…
“Uh, uh-uh-uh!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just messed up the circle for a moment…”
“Well… as long as it’s done today, take your time.”
Kim Suhyun clicked his tongue with a smirk. Vivian shook her head and glanced again at Excalibur, lying abandoned in the corner. And she thought to herself,
“Lucky him…”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
As I mentioned before, I have an appointment at noon today.
I’m not sure how long it will take, but on Saturday, June 27th, a side story will be posted.
Characters like Gehenna, Suna, and Behemoth will appear, though the volume will be smaller than usual.
Thank you for your understanding, and regular updates will resume on Sunday, June 28th.
Thank you all. (__)
P.S. I’ve uploaded a new cover. The protagonist in the new illustration is Han So-young. Isn’t she lovely? Haha. (The cover, announcement, and garden have all been updated.)